Limbo
by flipomatic
Summary: Raven needed to make a choice. Last time she'd interfered. She could step in and save Yang from immediate harm, but damage her standing with the White Fang permanently. She could hide and pretend nothing was happening, which would leave her mission intact. Raven didn't move.


After today's episode I needed to write something, and this has been building in my head for a while now.

* * *

When Raven was given the task of infiltrating the White Fang, she thought it would only last a few months. Taiyang would forgive her for not filling him in; he was pretty easy going in that way. Yang wouldn't even remember that she'd been gone.

A whole year passed, and Raven realized she was stuck. Her mission wasn't complete, so she couldn't leave. It was too late to tell Taiyang, especially since he'd already moved on in her absence. She still saw Qrow every once in a while, and even though he always asked uncomfortable questions he also brought pictures of Yang with him.

She ignored the guilt looking at the photos brought, and watched from a very far distance as her only child grew up.

Before she knew it over 15 years had passed. The White Fang had changed during that time. It moved from being relatively peaceful to an extremist group. Raven moved up in the ranks, getting closer and closer to the higher ups. She even taught a young boy how to use dust to power his weapon.

When they started stealing dust, it seemed like they were building to something big. They loaded it all into a train, which left a few days earlier than scheduled. Raven had been helping move things, and found herself speeding towards Vale unexpectedly.

She hid herself away in a pocket dimension to see who the intruders were, and also to avoid having to deal with Neo. It turned out to be her daughter and her team. Three of them rushed through the train, and Yang stopped to fight Neo while the others moved on.

Of course, Yang was hopelessly outmatched. Neo knocked her out with ease and prepared to stab the blonde teen. Time seemed to stop as Neo raised her sword. In an instant Raven decided to interfere. She swept her sword in Neo's direction, and the other woman jumped back in surprise.

The almost murderer vanished as Raven looked down at her daughter. She knew that by saving Yang she was compromising her mission, but it was hard to care when a psychopath pointed a sword at her daughter. She couldn't stay for long though, someone else might come by or Yang could wake up. She opened another portal and jumped through without looking back.

She left the train behind, going back to a White Fang base instead of to the battle field. None of the White Fang members said anything about her treachery; it seemed like Neo hadn't told them.

That was good, it meant her cover was still secure. But it couldn't happen again.

* * *

Though Raven didn't like to talk about it, she spent a large amount of time leading up to the operation watching the Vytal tournament. It aired on television across the globe, so Raven was able to adjust an old television to receive it. Most of the time she watched alone; the other members didn't really care about the competition.

Sometimes she got the opportunity to watch her daughters team fight a match. She'd greatly enjoyed th match that team RWBY fought in. Summer's daughter had grown up to be a great leader.

Raven happened to be watching team RWBY' math when Adam interrupted her. He scowled in her direction with his arms crossed. He'd been giving her weird looks since the train incident, but hadn't said anything. It was starting to get annoying.

"Do you need something?" Raven turned so she could see Adam and the match. Her daughter wasn't doing very well at the moment; that kid with the roller skates was thrashing her.

"Neo told me about the train." Adam moved one hand to his sword as if preparing to attack.

"I didn't think she did much talking." She ignored the threat and tried to keep the mood light, smiling slightly at Adam.

"You know what I mean." His scowl deepened. "Why did you save that girl?"

Raven's smile vanished. "It wasn't her time." She had to be careful with what she said. If Adam tried to throw her out of the White Fang her position would be compromised. Too many sacrifices had been made to ruin that now.

She wasn't sure how Adam was going to react to her statement, but he nodded in understanding.

"I see." He released the hilt of his sword. "I feel the same way sometimes." Adam stepped towards the television, where Yang was now fighting two opponents alone. "To want to kill them, but also want to let them live and suffer." Raven suppressed a shudder at the dark tone in his voice.

"Exacly." She agreed, hoping to bring an end to this conversation. Before she could say anything else, loud cheering erupted from the television. Somehow Yang had pulled off a victory. Her exhausted red eyes changed back to purple as the camera panned across the field. Raven allowed herself a brief moment of pride, which didn't last long.

"It won't be a problem during the operation."

It wasn't a question, and it wasn't a threat. Adam merely stated a fact.

Raven looked just past his shoulder. "You're right."

As it turned out, he was correct.

* * *

Making a conviction to not help her daughter and actually watching someone hurt the teen were different matters entirely. Raven had been moving into the school when she noticed Adam fighting with Blake. She met the girl a few times before the black themed girl defected, and she watched her fight as a member of team RWBY. What she was doing with Adam was less fighting and more getting destroyed.

Raven was about to move on when she heard a familiar voice calling for Blake. She hid instead of leaving, staying to watch Yang barrel down the hallway.

A scream drew the pairs attention, and lavender eyes flared crimson.

Yang charged across the room rapidly, but to Raven it happened in slow motion. Yang leapt, pulling back her arm to punch Adam. He charged his sword, drawing dust from his clothes to power the weapon. Raven had actually taught him that technique.

Raven needed to make a choice. Last time she'd interfered. She could step in and save Yang from immediate harm, but damage her standing with the White Fang permanently. She could hide and pretend nothing was happening, which would leave her mission intact.

Raven didn't move.

Yang's punch missed, but Adam's sword did not. In one swipe he took an arm. Yang crashed to the ground behind him, already unconscious from the blow. He spun around to finish the job, but Blake was there to stop him. He hesitated, but swung anyway. Blake vanished into the shadows, hauling Yang with her. Raven watched as they fled, paralyzed on the spot. She didn't move as Adam followed with a murderous glint in his eyes.

For the thousandth time since she'd taken this mission, she felt trapped. There was no going back from this, no recovering from her failures. But was she ready to move forward from here? She failed to save her own daughter; refused to help in her moment of need. She would be allowed to stay in the White Fang, and hopefully by the time she died she'd be free of this disastrous quest.

She knew she had no right to ask for anything, but she hoped Yang would be ok. She prayed to Summer to protect the child, since she'd been a far better mother than herself. Raven couldn't take anything into her own hands, but still…

With a heavy heart she set off into the school, ready to continue her mission.


End file.
